The use of balloons for child's play and at weddings and parties is well known. In such cases, balloons are often used as decorations or centerpieces. Sometimes, balloons may be used to line windows or the walls of homes or reception halls. Usually the balloons are brightly colored to add a sense of festival to the occasion.
Balloons can also be used for advertising. In this case, messages, trademarks or logos may be imprinted on an outer surface of the balloon to promote a product or simply enhance brand awareness. When used for advertising, the balloons may be given away at festivals or fairs or other events.
Balloons may be provided in any of a number of sizes. Relatively small balloons may be provided for use as decoration. Larger balloons may be used for advertising. In some cases, balloons of several feet in diameter may be imprinted with a message and filled with helium so that they float. Such balloons may be tethered to the ground over businesses to attract attention to special events.
In the case of children, balloons may be provided as a source of amusement. For younger children, balloons may be used to play games (e.g., a form of volleyball where the slow movement of the balloon is more adapted to the dexterity of the small child.) Alternatively, a balloon may be filled with water for use with larger children and adults. When filled with water, such balloons may be used for water-fights on hot days, and for other games of interest to children.
While balloons have an almost infinite utility to both inform and amuse, they are labor intensive to use. When used, a balloon must be inflated by a person pressing his/her lips to the balloon and blowing air into the balloon. Where the balloon is to be filled with helium or water, the balloon may be attached to a pressured source of helium or water. Once filled, the entrance to the balloon must be closed to prevent the fluid from escaping. In many cases, the neck of the balloon is tied in a knot. However, the step of tying the neck of a balloon into a knot is especially laborious and difficult for a young child or even for an adult. Because of the importance of balloons, better methods are needed for filling and then tying knots in the necks of balloons.
The present invention is described in the context of filling a balloon with water, and then knotting the neck of the balloon. However, the same description would also be applicable were the balloons to be filled with another fluid, such as air or helium, or the like.
The present disclosure relates to a balloon filling and tying device. In particular, the filling device is improved with an elongated nozzle flange structure on the marginal end of the balloon barb to prevent water dripping when a water balloon is filled. When the user ties the neck of a balloon, they may find that they inserted the tying device into the receptacle the wrong way. To eliminate this problem, this invention uses a key and corresponding keyway structure located on the tying device and in the filling device receptacle, respectively. This structure prevents the user from inserting the tying device into the receptacle incorrectly, and also prevents the tying device from rotating during the course of tying a knot in the neck of a balloon. The inner diameter of the back end of the receptacle is also slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the proximal end of the tying device. This feature also helps the user to insert the tying device into the receptacle from the front side and stops the user from improperly inserting the tying device into the receptacle of the filling device from the rear. A snap fit feature is also used to better engage the tying device and the filling device.
The tying device has a curved and larger bevel than the bevel illustrated in the prior art and in previous balloon tying devices. This improvement is provided to allow the bevel to better receive the rolled mouth of the water balloon. In order to help the user better insert the neck of the balloon into the slot on the tying device, a pair of leading tapered surfaces are provided on the marginal end of the tying device.
The present tying device invention is an improvement over the tying device disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,683, issued Jun. 23, 2009, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The present combination tying device and balloon filling invention is an improvement over the balloon tying device and filling apparatus disclosed in my co-pending patent application entitled “Balloon Filling Device,” filed Dec. 10, 2010, bearing Ser. No. 12/965,036, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.